Torn
by Shadowchaser56
Summary: Greg's been broken up with Bianca for a year now, and he'd almost forgotten about her. What happens when she leaves a little gift on his doorstep? Please don't hate on the now random plotline, suggested Grillows but not main.
1. Surprise!

Thanks everyone who is reading this now, and those who are reading my other CSI fanfic Open Wounds!

Please rate and review like always, and I am open to suggestions and comments!

Disclaimer: I only own Bianca, her boyfriend, and their daughter

Note: the bold is Bianca's letter

CHAPTER 1

Greg stumbled up the stairs to his apartment in his apartment building, exhausted after his long shift. The CSIs had finally closed the case with his DNA help in the lab, and he was absolutely wiped out. Bed sounded like heaven as he walked down the hallway and turned the corner to approach his apartment.

He stopped short, eyes flashing wide open. There was a grubby bundle of blankets at the foot of his door. He looked up and down the empty hallway and jogged down the hall.

When he reached the bundle, he skidded to a stop and looked down. A dark brown mass of tangled and matted curls framed a small girl face. The girl's clothes were filthy and torn, and she was dirty and smelling. After looking around for a moment, he reached over the girl to unlock and open his door. Greg gently picked up the girl and carried her into his apartment, setting her gently on the couch in his living room. He felt sick, realizing that he could feel and see every rib. Going back to the door, he retrieved the envelope that had been beneath the girl and locked his door.

He sat down next to the girl and wrapped her up in a warm blanket sitting next to his couch when she started to shiver. Then he just sat and looked at the girl, who was whimpering in her sleep. As much as he wanted to wake her, Greg needed to know what was in the envelope first. He carefully peeled back the flap and peered inside. There was a handwritten letter and a smaller document. He took out the letter first.

**Gee, Sanders, thanks a ton. You have put me through absolute and utter hell these past 21 months. So I thought I would start by thanking you.**

**Not.**

**Let's see- you broke up with me 21 months ago. The very next week I found out that I was pregnant. Again, thanks for not using a condom, dumbass.**

**So I spent 9 months getting sick and fat, beaten up from the inside out. This brat moves more than you do, and that's saying something. When she finally came out, bawling and screaming, I decided I was only keeping her for one year. I would drop her on your porch the day she turned 1. By the way, thanks for not moving. It was way easier not to have to track you down. By this time, I'm probably on a plane for somewhere far, far away from both of you. Thank God my better boyfriend didn't bail on me.**

**Point said, I don't want her. Hell, we didn't even name her. Matt and I stole her birth certificate and her two nights after she was born and we got the hell out of there.**

**So here she is, she's all yours, you bastard. Thanks a ton for taking her. Enjoy your life.**

**Bianca Merris**

Greg stared in shock at the letter. Then he dug back into the envelope and pulled out a form. The girl's birth certificate. It had his and Bianca's names on it, but as promised, the baby's name line was blank. Greg felt the fury rise in his throat and fought it down, knowing that he couldn't do anything. The only thing he could do was figure out what to do next.

The girl whimpered again and stirred, and her eyes opened. The hazel in her eyes perfectly matched Greg's own, and he stiffened. "Where mommy?" she said, looking at Greg with wide eyes. He reached out and she squirmed away from him, eyes full of fear.

Greg felt hatred boil in his stomach, but he forced himself to remain calm for the emaciated and terrified girl. "Do you want your mommy?" He whispered.

"No, no, not mommy, not mommy!" The girl started to cry.

"It's okay, okay," Greg murmured, slowly reaching out a hand and crouching down next to the couch so as not to appear threatening. The girl looked at him with her eyes still full of fear, but she reached out her own tiny hand and grabbed his. "Daddy's here, baby girl. Daddy's here."

"You daddy?" she asked. Greg nodded. "I happy. You nice. Mommy mean." She got up and crawled into his lap, where she promptly fell asleep again.

Greg lifted her into his arms and stood up. He quickly decided that the first thing he needed to do was bathe the girl. He went into the kitchen and filled one side of his sink with warm water. Taking a clean washcloth from a basket in the corner of his living room, he carefully undressed the girl and sat her in the sink. He put some soap on the washcloth and gently washed her face and arms. The washcloth turned brown quickly, and Greg had to go through three layers of filth before the girl's pale skin showed. Then he washed her hair a few times.

Finally, he was able to get through all of the muck and see the girl better. She was relatively small for her age, which he had expected when he felt how thin she was. She looked about one, which fit Bianca's story, and she was so exhausted that she didn't wake up the whole time. He carefully washed all of the soap from her tiny body and hair and redressed her in one of his clean old t-shirts, thanking God that he had diapers left from the last time he visited his mom's foster kids. Then he wrapped her up in one of his warm sweatshirts.

When he looked at the clock, it was only about 5:30. He had no idea what to do, but he knew someone who could help him. Greg lifted the girl from where she was asleep on his couch and went to his car.

rate and review please! I'm anxious to hear what you think so I know how to make it better


	2. Help

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI- I only own the little girl and Bianca... who may or may not return

Thanks to theblackendrose for favoriting, LilyLatendresse63, Marymel, and InsaneOnTheInside for following, and Marymel, InsaneOnTheInside, and MusicAddictAtLarge for commenting!

just a note: thanks to whoever the guest was for commenting because I'm definitely editing this a little bit for the rest. She's a bit older than 1, and Greg accidentally grabbed one of his mom's bags last time he went to visit her and her foster kids. Also keep in mind he gets back at like 4 in the morning here and so everyone's asleep that's why no one knows she's there. Also, he can't leave the girl at his house alone if she gets into something and he doesn't know what to do- none of his neighbors have kids. So he just drove VERRRRRRRRY carefully and didn't get stopped by any cops. If you don't like anything else, (sorry if this sounds rude) either don't read or phrase your comments a little more politely please.

CHAPTER 2

Greg knocked on the door, wishing fiercely that Grissom wouldn't be back from the lab yet and she would be awake. It was 6 in the morning, and he prayed that she would answer the door. He didn't know who else to go to. Glancing back at the red car, he smiled, knowing that the little girl was fast asleep in the backseat.

Turning back to the door as it opened, Greg heaved a great sigh of relief. "Greg? What's wrong?" Catherine was looking at him with worry on her face.

"Oh, thank God. I really, really, _really _need your help." Catherine looked at him in obvious confusion, but she slipped her shoes on and followed him.

Greg went back to his passenger side back door and opened it, carefully lifting the girl from the seat. She stirred in his arms, her thumb in her mouth. Her other arm wrapped around his neck. "Greg… who is this?" Catherine asked, looking at the girl.

Greg wrapped his arms around the girl and held her firmly against his chest. "Cath, this is my daughter, apparently. Please, you need to help me, Cath." He held out Bianca's note, desperate to get any help possible.

Catherine scanned the note, looked at Greg's desperate face, and murmured, "I think we should all go inside. Lindsey is asleep upstairs, so we need to be quiet, but I have a DNA test in my basement- we can make sure that the girl is biologically yours. Then she can eat, if she's hungry and awake, and I have some of Linds's old clothes, so you will be able to dress her until we go shopping for her later. What's her name?"

Greg looked at the girl sleeping in his arms. He loved her so much, and he barely knew her. "She doesn't have one," he said seriously.

Catherine nodded and said, "Let's go inside and run that test. Then we will probably need to visit child services."

. . .

"Greg? Can I ask you something?" Catherine looked at Greg, who was sitting on her basement couch holding the girl tightly in his arms.

"Sure, Cath. Anything you need."

"What are you going to do if she turns out to be yours?"

Greg blinked, surprised that he hadn't thought about that. He said, "I don't know. I'm clearly going to keep her- she's been through too much for me not to. She needs me; I think Bianca and Matt abused her because she flinched back when she first met me and was very scared when I asked her if she wanted her mommy. She said mommy was 'mean.' But beyond keeping her, I have no idea what to do. I can't leave the lab- you guys in the graveyard shift need me there. My family lives in Virginia… What did you do with Linds?"

"She stayed with my neighbors. They were good friends when I was growing up."

Greg nodded, looking back at the little girl. "I think Ms. Meyers- Judith, my neighbor- will be willing to watch her. She's such a sweet lady, and she reminds me of my grandmother, Nana Olaf."

"That's probably the best thing for all of you." The machine in the corner beeped to life with the results of the DNA test. Catherine went and grabbed the printout, not looking at the result. "Are you ready to see this, Greg?"

"No, no I'm not. I won't ever be ready. But I need to know." Greg kissed the sleeping girl's forehead and looked up at Catherine, hoping desperately that the girl would be his. He was already totally in love with the little baby girl, and he didn't think he could stand it if she wasn't his. Reaching out the shaky hand that wasn't wrapped around her, he took the sheet with the result on it.

Greg took a deep breath and looked at the sheet in his hand, terrified and elated to see the outcome on the other side. Catherine sat down in front of him on the floor and looked at him wordlessly, waiting and being there for moral support if he needed it. Steeling himself, Greg flipped the sheet over and looked at the words and chart shown there. Read the whole page twice through, looking at the DNA comparison. He handed the sheet to Catherine and lifted the girl into his arms, holding her tightly and kissing her forehead again. He watched as Catherine's eyes flicked down the page, taking in all of the data. Then she looked up and smiled at Greg. "Congratulations. She's all yours."

Greg smiled, put the girl gently on the couch, and stood up to hug Catherine. Tears were barely held back in his eyes. He was startled by the huge wave of emotions that filled up his whole being. "Thanks, Cath. I don't think I would have been able to wait until tonight to check the DNA. I needed to know."

The girl stirred behind them on the couch and opened her deep hazel eyes. She whimpered, scared in the unfamiliar surroundings.

Greg was at her side in an instant, lifting her gently into his arms. "I'm here, sweetie. Right here. Don't worry, Daddy's here," he cooed to her.

The girl pressed herself into Greg's chest in fear and cautiously pointed.

"That's Aunt Catherine," Greg answered, sighing in relief as Catherine smiled and nodded.

"Hi, there. Are you hungry?" Catherine asked, gently reaching out and letting the girl grab her hand in a tiny fist.

The girl drew her face out a bit and nodded.

"I know, baby girl, I know. Should we go see if Aunt Catherine has some food for you upstairs?" When the girl nodded, Greg followed Catherine upstairs.

Review por favor!


	3. Roses are Red

sorry it's been so long since i updated this! i've had band camp and a lottttt of school work to do

hope you enjoy this, i tried to make it a little longer like the other chapters but keep rating and reviewing, and thanks to everyone who is favoriting, following, and reviewing!

I only own greg's daughter and miss blunt

NCISCSINCISCSINCISCSINCISCSI 

CHAPTER 3

"Gris, babe, I know you're pissed that I'm not home and I won't tell you where I am. I'm sorry, but I just can't tell you. Please don't be angry, I'm sworn to secrecy. I can promise you that I'm just helping out a friend who really needs me right now, and I'll be back in time to get Linds home from her friend's house before my shift tonight." Catherine hung up her cell phone.

"I hate making you avoid telling him things. That's bad in a marriage…" Greg sighed and looked at her. "Cath, I already owe you for helping me feed her, giving us the car seat, and even helping me out with the DNA test and everything you are going to do today. I mean it, you don't need to come in if you don't want to…"

"Gregory Sanders. You will shut up right now. I'm coming with you, and that's that." Catherine climbed out of the driver's seat and waited as Greg gently woke up the girl and she jumped into his arms with wide and loving eyes. The three of them walked into the law building.

Greg followed Catherine up to a large map on the wall and the two quickly located the child services room. Then they got lost a couple of times, but eventually were able to get to the office.

Though there were other children and parents in the child services office, laughing and playing, the little girl refused to leave Greg's arms, choosing instead to look around with huge solemn eyes as Greg sat down in a chair sitting against the wall. Then she poked him in the arm and looked up at him.

"Yes, baby girl, what do you need?" Greg asked, watching Catherine out of the corner of his eye. She approached the main desk and began to talk in earnest to the man sitting there. He asked her something and she turned, finding Greg and pointing him and the girl out to the man. He nodded and stood up, walking back out of sight. Catherine began to pick her way over to a door off to the side of the crowded room.

The girl in his arms poked him in the cheek.

"Sorry, honey, Daddy didn't hear you. What did you say?" Greg looked at the girl sitting in his lap.

She pointed at the other parents calling their childrens' names with a puzzled look on her face. Then her hand was on his cheek and wiped away the splash of water that was there, shaking her head in annoyance.

"Sorry, baby. What did your mommy call you?"

The girl wrinkled her nose and fear flashed in her face for a moment. Then she shook her head again. "They didn't name you?" Another shake, and she pointed at his lips then herself, smiling hopefully.

"Yeah, baby girl. I will name you. I will talk to you and call you by your name. Don't worry."

She looked in expectation at him, and Greg winced inwardly as he realized she wanted to know her name.

"Well…" Greg began, unsure of how to explain the situation to her.

"Mr. Sanders?" Greg looked up to the man at the desk, who was now standing at the door next to Catherine. "We need you and your daughter to come back now."

"Let's go, sweetie." Greg stood up and carried the girl with him, the two following Catherine through a series of doors and into a small office.

After a few short minutes, a woman Greg judged to be in her early fourties knocked and entered the office space, sitting down at the desk across from Greg and Catherine. "Sorry for the wait, it's been a busy day. I'm Jessica Blunt, Mr. Sanders. And you are...?"

"Catherine Willows. A friend of the family," she added, noticing Miss Blunt's confused expression.

"Ah. Thank you for clarifying, Miss Willows. So how am I able to help the three of you?" She asked, noticing the girl in Greg's arms. "Hi, sweetie. Are you okay?"

The girl was pressing her body against Greg's chest, and nodded shyly. Greg pulled out Bianca's note, the girl's blank birth certificate, and the DNA results from a small backpack while Catherine pulled out her ID badge for verification. "This is the easiest way to explain my bizarre situation- Cath ran the DNA test," Greg said, handing Miss Blunt the sheets.

Miss Blunt took the papers and thoroughly examined all of them, checking for authenticity. "All of this seems to be in perfect order, Mr. Sanders. I just need to know what you wish to name the girl. Have you thought any about it?"

Greg nodded. "Her name is Andrea Rose Sanders."

"Shall we go make that official?"

. . .

The girl looked up at Greg and said, "Daddy?

"Yes, Andrea?"

The girl looked around in confusion and Greg poked her in the tummy. "You, sweetie. You are Andrea."

The girl beamed widely and danced in a little circle once Catherine put her down carefully. Greg laughed and led her over to his car. He buckled her in her new car seat, where she yawned and was asleep before they had even left the parking lot. "She's exhausted," Catherine commented, seeing her in the rear view mirror.

Greg, sitting in the passenger seat, turned over his shoulder and looked at Andrea. "And so thin." He let anger fill his voice. "Bianca is never going to come anywhere near us."

"Greg, can I ask you something?" Catherine's curious voice gave Greg something to focus on other than his anger, and he turned back and nodded. "Why did you name her Andrea Rose?"

Greg sighed, knowing that this question had been coming. He thought for a moment before giving his answer, trying to phrase it right. "My older sister Andrea was eleven when we learned she had Leukemia. I was there to give her all of my support through her treatments. She died when I was ten and she 14."

"And the Rose?" Catherine asked as they turned into a Walmart parking lot.

"When she first got sick, I gave Andrea a plastic red rose, her favorite flower. I told her that no matter what happened, I would love her until it died." He laughed lightly, a slightly forced sound. "I still have the rose on a shelf at home. My Andrea looks just like my sister did when she was little."

Catherine nodded. "You should call your daughter something other than Andrea, otherwise it's a bit confusing."

"Drew. My girl is Drew. I didn't call my sister that for long cause she hated it so much! Mom made me stop after I could say her whole name."

"We should go in now and get stuff for Andrea. She's going to need a lot."


	4. Home

Hey everyone- this chapter's a little shorter sorry bout that! the next one's pretty long though. hoping to update again this weekend- had a busy week otherwise i would have updated sooner.

Thanks for the reviews and all the readings! keep enjoying! also feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions. I will try to take everything to heart and work it into the later chapters.

I OWN NOTHING

CHAPTER 4

_**Greg's** **POV**_

"Catherine, I just cannot express enough how glad I am that you were able to come along and help me find this stuff for Drew," Greg said as he lugged two trash bags full of stuff from his car onto a small rolling cart that had been sitting in his trunk. They had spent practically all day shopping for baby and toddler necessities, and Catherine had never once complained. She had even bought a couple toys for Andrea. Greg couldn't thank her enough.

Catherine was holding Andrea and laughing as he attempted to load a fence-like thing onto the cart that would prevent Andrea from falling out of a bed: the only one that he had was a twin without sides, and he didn't want his baby girl being injured. It didn't want to cooperate with him around the trash bags: one was full of clothes, and the other was full of pull-ups and wipes. She continued to giggle as it fell off the cart a few times and he finally gave up, yanking the trash bags off the cart and throwing the fence on the bottom. Catherine also held up a digital camera and several new memory cards with an evil smile on her face. "I wanted to do it, Greg. And now I'm able to document it for future generations! Plus, you seemed a bit desperate and had no idea what to do. It amuses me, considering your mom had plenty of foster kids from what I hear, but I did have Lindsey, so I knew what you needed anyway. How is it that you didn't know what to get, anyway?"

Greg grinned sheepishly. "First, by the time my mom had foster kids I was a junior in high school. Second, most of them were boys."

"Ahhhhhhh. Now take your daughter- I NEED to film this!" She passed Andrea to Greg and loaded a memory card into the camera, turning it on, setting it to record, and hitting the play button.

Greg rolled his eyes very dramatically and deliberately at the camera and turned to the dozing figure in his arms. "Drew?"

The girl blinked and looked at him with loving hazel eyes and a tired expression on her face.

"Smile at Aunt Catherine and wave to Daddy's camera, okay?" Andrea giggled and waved shyly at the camera, but yawned and laid her head on Greg's shoulder quickly, falling asleep almost immediately.

"You don't think it's a problem that she's sleeping so much, right?" Greg asked Catherine anxiously as they walked into his apartment building.

"No, Greg. Her body is probably still weary from traveling with Bianca for so long, and she's pretty thin still. It's going to take a few weeks at least for her to get used to all of this. At least she's taken to you very quickly. Don't worry about her- she's going to be an angel." Catherine carefully walked backwards as Greg wheeled the cart into the elevator, punching the button while trying not to wake his baby girl up.

"Thank God my apartment has two bedrooms," Greg muttered, walking across the hall when the elevator opened and unlocking his front door.

Catherine pushed the cart in around his couch and commented, "I somehow expected you to be a lot messier." She moved the camera around Greg's apartment.

Greg snatched the camera away from her and turned it off. "Please, Cath. We need to get all of Drew's stuff put away in her new bedroom before I call Ms. Meyers."

"Okay, grump. I'll get started while you get her into pajamas." Catherine took Andrea's bags of clothes and pull-ups and went into the room across the hall from Greg's bedroom. Greg followed her in, changing Andrea into her new pink pajamas and trying not to wake her up. He needn't have worried, though. She slept soundly as he set her down on the bed for a moment to help Catherine finish up. "Greg?"

"Yeah, Cath?"

"You are going to be a really good father. You know that, right?"

Greg turned and looked at Catherine as they walked into his living room and sat down for a moment. "I really hope so. Can we not mention this to the lab though? I need this. I just can't risk the lab lowering my hours or getting rid of me because they don't think I have the time to handle a growing girl and the work, or Grissom not making me a CSI, or-"

"Greg. Listen up." Greg shut up, looking at Catherine with a worried and slightly frantic expression. He knew better than to say anything. When Catherine was talking, no one dared interrupt her. "Grissom wants you as a CSI. YOU, Greg, whether you are single, dating, or have kids. He wants you to move up and be made a CSI, and you having a daughter is not going to change his mind. It didn't when I had Linds, and it's not going to now, either. But if you don't want me to, I won't say a word to the lab."

"Thanks, Cath. Oh, you probably need to get to the lab soon, don't you?" Greg checked his watch. "It's almost five... when does your shift start?"

"Six thirty. Relax, Greg. I would leave if I was going to be late." Catherine rolled her eyes and Greg felt his face flush with embarrassment.

"I'm going to go talk to my neighbor and see if she's willing to watch Drew. I'll see you in the lab," Greg said, trying to get Catherine to leave without being rude about it.

"Yeah. I guess I'll see you in the lab later." Catherine stood up from Greg's couch and left. Greg stood up and walked back into Andrea's room, picking up the sleeping girl and going next door to knock on his neighbor's door.

After a moment, Judith Meyers answered the door. She was about 56, unmarried, and very friendly. Greg knew he could trust her with his daughter. "Hey Ms. Meyers. How have you been?"

She made a strange but playful face at him. "What have I told you, Gregory? It's Judith. Now, are you going to introduce me to this little sweetheart?"

"This is Andrea. She's my daughter- turned one yesterday. I found out about her early this morning, and now I'm her legal guardian. The thing is-"

"You need a long-term babysitter for your night shifts," Judith finished.

"I can't pay you much," Greg said, heart pounding, "but… would you…"

"Of course. Don't worry about paying me, either."

"But-"

"NO. Don't worry about it; I'm very willing to watch her. Do you need me to start tonight?"

"Can you? You are a total life saver, Judith. She shouldn't wake up, but…" After thinking for a moment, Greg added, "if she wakes up, please tell her you're her Grandma or something and that Daddy will be home soon."

Judith smiled. "Of course. Call me if anything comes up, Greg. Now go, young man, before you get into trouble with that boss of yours, Grissom." Judith lifted Andrea from Greg's arms and closed her door. Greg made sure his apartment was locked and ran for his car, his mind and thoughts preoccupied with his new baby girl.


	5. Attack

HI EVERYONE! I know, it's been a really long time since I updated this and then I used a chapter from my other fanfiction accidentally... SO SORRY ABOUT THAT. TO EVERYONE WHO SAID SOMETHING, I THANK YOU LOTS. CRAZY busy over here. But here's the next chapter, please don't lose patience with me, I've had a ton of marching band rehearsal for high school… plus sophomore year sucks in terms of homework load.

Disclaimer: the only thing I own right now is Andrea/Drew.

Just a last note: as always, italics are thoughts. Also, I should warn you all in advance that the plotline of this fanfiction goes all over the place. It's very random at first, and weird plot twists are everywhere. Please put up with it, I wanted all of this to happen. Keep reviewing- I adore all of your comments!

One last thing- this chapter takes place about 7 years later when Drew is 8 years old. Grissom and Sara are not together (there was a bit of Grillows in chapter 2 and 3 with Catherine talking to Gris via phone, so they are together), but I haven't decided whether to do a Sandle or just to leave them as almost like siblings. I think the latter is more likely: A) because I already am writing a Sandle fanfic and I don't want them all to be that way and B) because Drew might just need somewhere to stay later if something happens to Greg… Read on!

CHAPTER 5

_**Greg's POV**_

"Drew, make sure you listen to Grandma Judith and get all of your homework done," Greg reminded his daughter as they left for their neighbor's apartment.

"Yeah, I KNOW Daddy. I'm not a baby, after all." Andrea laughed lightly at her father's expression.

Greg looked at his baby girl's dark brown curls and hazel eyes. She had her backpack slung over her shoulder and her clothes were packed in with her homework. _She's exactly like me._

"Daddy!" Andrea snapped her hand in front of Greg's face and he stuck his tongue out at her back as she knocked politely on the front door.

Judith answered after a moment and smiled at the two. "Hey, Greg. How are you, Miss Andrea?"

"I'm good, Grandma," Andrea chirped. She carried her backpack into the apartment and Greg heard a thump. Then she came running back and jumped into his arms. "Be careful, Daddy."

"I always am," Greg said, ruffling her hair. "Bye." He kissed her softly on the forehead and headed for the stairs, jumping them two by two and running to his car. He leapt in and buckled up, heading for the lab.

. . .

Greg was throwing his jacket, keys, and wallet into his locker and was about to go change his shirt out of view when someone walked into the locker room behind him. Grinning, Greg said, "Hey, Nicky."

"You have a gift, G. How is it you can always tell who is behind you without looking?" Nick grumbled in complaint.

"Guess I'm psychic?" Greg joked. "What's Cath got us working?" he asked as he turned to Nick and rapidly changed his shirt, feeling awkward about the scars crisscrossing his back from his lab exploding.

"We got a B & E over by Kennedy and Stratford. You set?"

Greg threw his vest on over his t-shirt and said, "Let's head." He grabbed the rest of his gear and followed Nick out of the lab.

. . .

Brass was already on the scene when Greg and Nick pulled up. "Why do you always get to drive," Greg complained as he unbuckled his seatbelt."

"Because I actually drive the speed limit, even just going to a crime scene," Nick retorted.

"So what," Greg muttered. "I like to drive fast," he added as they climbed from the car and walked around to the trunk, opening it and pulling out some cameras and sample kits.

"Would you two get your asses over here?" Brass called.

"What's the situation?" Nick asked as they carried their kits over.

"Wife's missing- drag marks through the husband's blood pool. Looks like a kidnapping. He's in the kitchen."

Greg and Nick headed to the kitchen, wanting to talk to David. He was kneeling on the floor next to the body, examining it closely. "It looks like COD is the slash across the neck. Very clean- I'm guessing this poor man never saw it coming."

"I'll check perimeter," Greg volunteered, walking outside. He began to snap pictures of the outside of the broken window, taking note that the glass was all outside, but no blood was on the frame. _If there was no struggle, then the man in the kitchen must have let the perp in… which means… he knew the perp!_ "Nick! I need an ID on this guy as soon as we can."

"What do you have?!" Nick shouted back.

Greg inhaled to yell back as he walked towards the side of the house and froze. Two glittering eyes were staring at him, and a low growl made Greg shiver.

"Greg?! What's going on?" Nick yelled again.

The dog growled again, barked, and lunged straight at Greg with a howl.

NCISCSINCISCSINCISCSINCISCSI 

_**Nick's POV**_

Nick's first sign of a problem was the stopping of Greg's shutter on his camera, meaning he wasn't taking pictures any more. Then Greg yelled, "Nick! I need an ID on this guy as soon as we can."

"What do you have?" Nick called as he clicked another picture of the inside of the broken window, noting that the glass was all outside the window. After waiting for a moment and not hearing anything, Nick felt a sense of unease fill him. "Greg? What's going on?" He called again.

Then he heard a series of sounds that penetrated him to the core. Two low growls, followed quickly by a howl and a terror-filled shriek. Nick felt his blood run cold and sprinted out the open back door for the side yard, his hand on his gun. On impulse, he yanked it from the holster and shot at the massive German Shepherd. It hit the dog in the leg and the shoulder, and the dog crumpled to the ground, releasing Greg's shoulder.

Nick grabbed Greg's other arm and hauled him away from the dog's reach. Greg was coughing and choking up blood, trying to speak. Nick leaned forward and heard Greg trying to speak. "Find… Cath… Process… scene… Tell… Drew… I…" His hands were clamped on two injuries: one on his shoulder and the other on a very deep wound on his neck. "BRASS!" Nick screamed, clamping his hands on Greg's neck.

Brass came running out the back door, hanging up his phone as he ran. He immediately clamped his own hands on Greg's shoulder. "An ambulance is coming. Stay with us, Greg."

After what felt like hours to Nick, the ambulance came shrieking up the street and stopped in front of the house. Medics came running out back and loaded Greg onto a stretcher, already with bandages clamped on Greg's neck and shoulder, trying frantically to stop the bleeding. Greg had passed out, and as Nick watched, they attached him to machines. The machines went haywire immediately. When the doors closed, Nick could see the medics trying to restart Greg's heart.

Nick turned to face Brass. Greg's blood was coating both of them. Too much blood. Nick turned away and yanked out an evidence bag, violently getting sick into it so as not to taint the crime scene.

When he turned back to Brass, Brass was phoning animal control. As soon as he hung up, Nick asked, "Who is Drew?"

"What?"

"Drew. Greg was saying something about a Drew."

"I don't know. Get cleaned up and head back to the lab. The LVPD will _very carefully_ process the rest of the scene and send you CSI's the samples and evidence. You need to go tell everyone what happened." Nick nodded blankly and Brass turned to one of the police men nearby. "Andrews, take Nick back to the lab." Nick followed the man, his mind in turmoil and the case completely forgotten.

NCISCSINCISCSINCISCSINCISCSI 

_**Catherine's POV**_

Catherine was spreading out a series of pictures from her and Sara's case when Nick came sprinting into the break room, his face pale. "Nick! What's wrong?"

"Cath! Thank God. You need to get Grissom and everyone back here NOW. Greg's been attacked by a mad dog- it's serious. Oh, do you know anyone named Drew that Greg would have known?" Nick said rapidly as he looked around. "Where is everyone?"

Catherine felt her heart almost stop and her face drained of blood as she gripped the edge of the table. "You get them," she whispered. "Sara's in the locker room dropping her stuff off, and Gil is in his office. Sofia's working a scene. I'll be back soon- Greg texted me some information about a Drew," she covered up briefly, knowing Greg didn't want the rest of the lab knowing about her. Fear flooded her entire body and she grabbed her keys off the table. "I'll be back soon. Get everyone in here and tell them to their faces what happened." She sprinted for the exit and ran for her car.

Catherine knew what she had to do, even though she knew he wouldn't be happy about it. She had to bring Andrea to the lab. There was just no way that she could avoid telling Andrea about her father. Catherine just hoped that she would somehow be able to keep Greg's secret.

. . .

Judith answered the door to Catherine's frantic pounding. "Can I help you?"

"Is Gregory Sanders' daughter here?" Catherine said rapidly.

"Yes…"

"Aunty Cath! Why are you here?" The girl said, yawning as she walked into the entranceway.

"Get dressed. Your father has been hurt, and it's critical." Catherine didn't want to hide anything, but she watched with regret as the eight-year-old's face went deathly white and she ran out of the room, coming back a couple minutes later in street clothes.

"Take me to Dad, Aunt Catherine," Andrea whimpered, her voice totally serious and full of fear. The two girls ran for Catherine's car as Catherine noticed Judith muttering under her breath and looking to the cloudy sky.

**THIS IS JUST AN UPDATE SORRY GUYS  
**I'm sure you're all annoyed with my lack of updating, but I've been insanely busy. Probably will be updating every other day or every third day from here on out. Don't lost patience with me, and more coming tomorrow most likely. Thanks everyone!


	6. Innocent

Disclaimer: the only things I own are Andrea and Bianca (if I choose to bring her back into the story…)

Note: hey everyone, sorry I haven't updated this recently… or in like, forever. I'll be able to update a lot now, though, cause school break is coming in a few weeks. But I'm going to try to update this every other or every third day, like I'm starting with Open Wounds.

So where did we leave off? Oh, yeah, Greg was just attacked, wasn't he? Want some more? Here ya go! Rate and review, like always!

Also, just in case there was confusion, Andrea is only called Drew by her father, so if it's someone else's POV it's going to be Andrea, but if it's Greg's she is Drew.

Also, I was considering making this also a sandle because people voiced curiosity, so what do you guys want me to do with this in terms of relationships? Please let me know POLITELY and if this isn't Sandle in the end, they will be very close friends. My other fanfic Open Wounds is a Sandle

CHAPTER 6

_**Catherine's POV**_

Catherine drove as fast as the speed limit allowed her to get back to the lab and get news of Greg for Andrea. Glancing next to her in the passenger seat every once in a while, Andrea's eyes were wide with worry. But about two thirds of the way to the lab from Greg's apartment complex, the girl fell asleep again. Catherine could do nothing but drive and worry about the wellbeing of the girl she essentially had adopted as a granddaughter and Andrea's father.

When they got to the lab, Catherine jumped out of the car and quickly walked around the car to the passenger seat, lifting the sleeping girl into her arms and carrying her in the front door. She passed Archie on the way in, and the man looked at Andrea with curiosity before continuing into his lab.

Catherine walked lightly into the break room, careful not to wake Andrea. Grissom, Nick, Sofia, and Sara were all looking at each other with horror-stricken faces. Nick was pacing around the table, his face showing the turmoil inside him. Sara had tear streaks down her cheeks, and Grissom was checking his phone constantly. Sofia was sitting next to Sara with one hand on the brunette's shoulder, a carefully concealed expression of fear on her face.

Wincing as she prepared herself for the bombardment of questions, Catherine took a deep breath and composed her emotions, trying not to emit fear to the whole room and the girl in her arms. She walked into the break room with her head high and moved to the small couch in the corner, laying Andrea down and wrapping her in a blanket from the closet nearby. Then she smoothed a lock of dark brown curl back from Andrea's face, and the girl whimpered but continued to sleep, to Catherine's relief. Then Catherine turned back to the rest of the team that was present.

Everyone was gazing past Catherine to the figure on the couch, shock and confusion starting to replace the more prominent horror and fear for the life of their coworker. "Who is that, Cath?" Grissom asked, moving to the blonde and gazing at the girl with sympathy and regret on his face.

"That's Andrea, or Drew. Yes, Nick, it's the same Drew you told me about." Catherine held a little bit of relief that she hadn't had to lie to anyone yet.

"Who is she? And how did you know about her, Cath?" Nick whispered, lowering his voice to avoid waking her up. Everyone looked at Catherine, desperate for answers and something to distract them from worrying about Greg.

"I went past the crime scene when I left here." It wasn't a lie- Catherine had driven past on her way to pick up Andrea. "There was a photo of her and her father in their house. She's connected to the B and E case. By the way, the wife has been gone for years, so she's not including in the missing list. There must have been someone else in the house." _I didn't lie to them. There is a picture of her and Greg in his apartment, and he's never married, so there has been no wife. Plus, I did check out the house briefly when we drove past it earlier. It looked like the wife wouldn't have been there._

To Catherine's relief, Nick nodded. "I had come to the same conclusions. There's nothing of the wife's that I can tell. Just the body, and that's the man who lives in the house. I just didn't realize he had a daughter."

"Poor girl. She lost the only parent that she had," Sara said. Catherine knew the brunette could sympathize with the girl they all thought Andrea was. Everyone nodded, assuming Catherine meant that Drew was the victim's daughter and not Greg's. _Better to let them make their own assumptions._

"Do you know if she saw anything of the original crime or the dog that attacked Greg?" Grissom asked.

"No, she was with her neighbors." _Still not a lie._

"Okay, team, let's go check the pics Nick and Greg were able to take before-"

"Look, we need to go to Desert Palms," Nick interrupted as they all followed Grissom out to see the pictures in better lighting in another room.

"Detectice Brass is there. He will call us if it's critical that we come at once," Grissom said calmly.

Catherine knew Grissom was trying to keep everyone calm, but this was not the way to go. "Gris," Catherine said, putting a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Look, Catherine, I'm going to find out who killed Drew's father and who's responsible for the attack on Greg."

"Well, I need to go to Greg. It's MY FAULT he's there," Nick argued.

"Yes, it's your fault that he's not downstairs in autopsy, Nick. Do NOT beat yourself up. It's the one who chained that dog up out there. That's not on you!" Sara yelled, raising her voice in fear and anger for Greg.

"Everyone could calm down and breath deeply," Sofia suggested. "We all know Greg would have us worry about the case first and him later, and I disagree, but why don't we look over the evidence and organize it all first. Then we can figure out what to do with Andrea and go visit Greg." Her rational tone calmed everyone, and they all turned to the evidence at hand.

CSINCISCSINCISCSINCISCSINCIS 

_**Andrea's POV**_

Blinking her eyes open, Andrea looked around in a panic at the unfamiliar room. She was lying across a couch in a room with a fridge, a table, and some chairs nearby. She felt her breath hitch in her throat and forced herself to breathe deeply, knowing that she couldn't let herself panic. Seeing her Aunt Catherine's jacket on the table, Andrea felt it give her some sort of strength.

Sitting up, Andrea pushed the blanket off her and looked at her dirty jeans in disgust. Then she remembered what her aunt had said, and her face crumpled in horror and fear. She got to her feet and staggered to the door, looking around a large lab in confusion as to how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was driving somewhere with Aunt Cath… Forcing herself to stay calm, she listened and picked up her aunt's voice.

Following the gradually louder voices, Andrea soon found the source of the voices. Aunt Catherine was talking to a man Andrea recognized from pictures as Aunt Cath's husband Grissom. She also recognized her daddy's other friends Nick, Sofia, and Sara. None of them noticed she was there.

Feeling awkward, Andrea politely but loudly cleared her throat. Everyone turned and looked at her. "Where's my daddy?" she whimpered.

Sara came over from where she was talking to Nick and Sofia and crouched in front of her. "Are you Drew?" Andrea couldn't help rolling her eyes in annoyance, but she nodded. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry."

"What do you mean?" Andrea said haltingly and fearfully, looking at her aunt briefly.

"Drew, your father is dead," Sara murmured, pulling her into a hug.

"No," Andrea whispered, tears pouring from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Sara repeated, sounding helpless.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Andrea wailed, pulling back from Sara. "He never told you how much you impacted him. OR how you were like the big brother he always wanted!" she added, turning to Nick. "Aunt Catherine!" she sobbed, running to her aung and pushing between her and Grissom.

"Impacted him?" Sara repeated yet again.

"Big brother?" Nick asked, confused.

"Aunt Catherine?" Grissom raised an eyebrow to Andrea's aunt.

"Sweetie, it's okay, it's okay!" Andrea let her aunt comfort her.

"I want Daddy," Andrea whimpered into Aunt Cath's shoulder.

"Your daddy's fine, honey. Can you explain to Daddy's friends who you are? They are confused."

Calming down slightly as she listened to Aunt Catherine's voice, Andrea turned to the rest and took a deep breath. "I'm Andrea Rose Sanders. Gregory Hojem Sanders is my father."


	7. Surgery

Disclaimer: only Andrea, Bianca, and Judith are mine… right now, that is!

Note: GREETINGS FROM THE INSANITY THAT IS MY LIFE! I hope you haven't abandoned me completely… I feel bad about not updating. Thank God break starts on Saturday… I'll probably be looking to update every other day on break. Typing this up is taking forever, but I'm probably going to be much more consistent soon. Hopefully updating on Wednesday and Saturday this week then moving to every other day.

Also, when it gets to Andrea's point of view, it's about two days later. Thoughts are in italics.

Another thing: so far, my three fanfics are all CSI. I'm currently working on a Criminal Minds one and also a Supernatural one, if anyone's curious. I also have a couple one-shots to put up at some point, so please check those out if you want to. Thanks everyone!

So the team knows that Andrea is Greg's now, right? Who wants to see some reactions?

CHAPTER 7

_**Sara's POV**_

"I'm Andrea Rose Sanders. Gregory Hojem Sanders is my daddy," the girl said in a clear but still very shaky voice.

Sara couldn't help it: she rocked back on her heels, totally shocked. First the girl said she had impacted Greg. She knew that, but the girl made it sound like Sara was her father's world. Then there was Nick like a big brother, and now she was Greg's daughter? "Wait… you're Greg's baby girl? You're the picture he keeps in his wallet…" Sara realized, suddenly understanding why Greg's cousin's daughter looked so much like Greg.

Because he had lied about her and kept her from the lab.

The girl stuck her hands on her hips. "Clearly I am NOT a baby, thank you very much. And my name is Andrea. Not Drew. Only Daddy gets to call me Drew." As if something had suddenly dawned on her, she turned to Catherine with a worried look on her face and whimpered, "Where is he?"

"He's at the hospital. A dog attacked him while he was on a site with Nick. Should we go see him?"

"Can we, please?" Andrea looked over at Sara with hopeful eyes, and Sara was struck by Greg's hazel eyes in the girl's face. Sara almost hugged her, but figured Andrea would not be impressed and was able to restrain herself. "Will you come, too, Miss Sara? My Daddy would want you to be there. Him, too," she added, pointing over where Nick was standing with his mouth still gaping open from her revalation. Sara almost cracked up laughing at his clear annoyance and shock. "But I'm sure if Nick was the other one on the case, then he needs to go back and finish processing the scene. He probably left when Greg got hurt, didn't you?"

Nick nodded. "I dropped everything to help Greggo." The nickname slipped out in his accent, more pronounced with worry.

Grissom blinked. Sara figured that was as close as the team would get to seeing him taken by surprise. "Greg taught you pretty much all the stuff he did."

Catherine nodded, and Andrea chirped, "My dad's really, really smart, isn't he, Mr. Grissom? I'm so proud he helps catch the bad guys."

"Yes, he really is. And we need him back. Could you do me a favor, Andrea? Tell him he needs to stay out of trouble next time."

Sara could tell Grissom was teasing about the last part, and knew that Greg would know, too, but Andrea nodded solemnly. "He's gonna be in trouble with me, too, Mr. Grissom. I'll tell him for you." She turned to Catherine. "Do you think that he can get better, Aunt Catherine?"

"Absolutely. Your dad's one of our strongest CSIs. He won't give up- he's far too high strung to give in." Andrea turned as Sara spoke and smiled at her hopefully. "He's definitely going to be great."

"Should we go now? Is that okay?" Catherine added as an afterthought, turning to Grissom. At his nod, Catherine turned and left the room, Andrea trailing shortly behind and Sara bringing up the rear.

The three headed into the locker room, where Catherine opened her locker and grabbed her keys. Sara saw Andrea biting her lip and clenching her fists and knew that her pep talk hadn't eased the girl's fear by much. She tapped Andrea's shoulder and offered her a hand, sensing her need to hold on to something or someone. Andrea clutched her hand tightly, and they followed Catherine to one of the dark SUVs. Sara climbed in the back with Andrea, who only let go to buckle her seatbelt. Catherine pulled out, and they headed for the hospital.

. . .

"How can I help you three tonight?" A nurse at the front desk looked at them politely.

"We're looking for Gregory Hojem Sanders," Catherine explained, Andrea still clutching Sara's hand and looking hopefully at the nurse.

"Are you family?"

"I'm his daughter," Andrea piped up shyly.

"Okay, just a moment, then." The nurse typed something into the keyboard and smiled at the screen. "Oh, here he is. Just down this hallway and it's the first door on the left. Would you wake him up if he's asleep? We need him unconscious for the surgery in a couple hours."

"S…s…surgery?" Andrea squeaked, looking up at Catherine and latching even tighter onto Sara's hand.

"We only need to fix up some of the tissue and bone damage. It's a relatively easy procedure," the nurse promised.

"It is?" Sara asked, thankful.

"Yes, not particularly difficult. He'll be absolutely fine. You can go visit him now, if you would like to."

"Thank you," Andrea said politely, pulling Sara towards the double doors.

Sara caught up with her arm and led the way to Greg's room. The door was open a crack, and she tapped softly on the fake wood before pushing it open. "Greg?"

Greg was sitting in his bed watching TV. His face was pale and slightly green. He blinked, but didn't look at them. "Sara! I'm sorry I can't look at you… the surgery for my shoulder needs to sew the neck bite shut… they couldn't get a good angle on it while I'm conscious. If I move, it starts to bleed uncontrollably, so they gave me a neck brace thing. It's annoying." He winced. "I've never done well with the anesthesia. It makes me nervous and sick just thinking about it."

"Are you okay, Greg?" Catherine fretted.

"I'm fine, mom," Greg joked, laughing softly and then wincing in pain.

"Daddy?" Andrea poked her head around Sara and squealed with happiness when she saw her father, releasing Sara's arm and rushing to the bed.

"Drew!" Greg smiled, carefully reaching to her with his uninjured side and folding her into him as she hugged him cautiously.

"Mr. Grissom says you need to be more careful and stay out of trouble next time," Andrea said solemnly. "I told him I would tell you. And you're in trouble with me, too, Daddy."

Sara's anger that Greg hadn't told anyone but Catherine about Andrea was slowly starting to cool, and she was proud of herself that she had kept it in check. Andrea pulled out of the hug and took her father's hand, and Sara felt a pang of longing in her chest; everyone around her had someone else who cared about them, and she had no one.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt, but the surgery is in about two hours, and I need to wheel Mr. Sanders out to prep him." The nurse came in and smiled apologetically, seemingly oblivious to what was going on.

"I'll come see you when you wake up. Okay, Daddy?" Andrea said hopefully?

"Promise?" Greg asked in reply.

"Yeah, promise!" she chirped, kissing Greg's forehead. "See you when you get out!"

"Not if I see you first," Greg teased, waving as they left.

. . .

"How was he even able to talk?" Sara asked Catherine as they were sitting and waiting in the waiting room. It was almost eight thirty in the morning, and the surgery had been going for about an hour and a half. Greg's doctor had decided to get it done sooner as opposed to later because of the nature of the situation, and Greg had jumped on the idea. Catherine and Sara hadn't been able to sleep at all, but that was normal for the two of them.

"How was he conscious was more my question," Catherine commented.

"Don't you two read?" Andrea murmured teasingly as she started to doze off on Sara's shoulder. "This is his second surgery. The report outside his door said he had an emergency transfusion and flatlined in the first operation twice. Aunt Catherine, what's flatlining?"

Before Catherine could come up with an answer, Andrea had fallen asleep. Turning to Sara, she asked, "Did you see the chart?"

"No…" Sara replied, eyes wide. "Did you?"

"No. I think this girl needs to be on our CSI team."

"She's very observant, isn't she? Just like Greg…" Sara murmured.

"Yes…" Catherine trailed off, eyes glinting as she seemed to realize something.

"What is it?" Sara asked.

"You love him, don't you?"

"Who?"

"Greg!"

"Well, yeah," Sara said defensively. "Why don't you just wake up his daughter and let her think I'm going to be her new mommy? That's what you're thinking, isn't it?"

"Not exactly. I was more wondering if it was like a brother sister thing, or something more," Catherine said.

"I'm not sure… how did you know I love him in either way?" Sara questioned.

"Just your general behavior. You get this one expression when he comes up in conversation, your heartbroken face when he got hurt in that lab explosion, and the way you just beam when you see him. It's like the best friend relationship everyone wishes they had."

"But Nick is his best friend," Sara pointed out.

"No, the best friend of the opposite sex relationship, Sara. Everyone has one of those. Some evolve to something more, some don't. I wonder what yours will do…" Catherine smiled. "Me, I'd like to consider myself your best girl friend- I see these things. Everyone else is too nearsighted. I could tell even when you were with Gris… you didn't love him in the same way you seem to love Greg, but then, you and Grissom didn't last, either. It's just going to be interesting, I guess."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Miss Sidle, Miss Willows?" A nurse came over to them. "The procedure was a success, but he probably won't wake up until sometime tomorrow night."

"Daddy's okay?" Andrea asked, waking up.

"He's going to be fine, sweetie. Want to get some breakfast?" Catherine asked.

"Sure!" the girl chirped, giving Sara a big hug and kissing her cheek softly before darting away with Catherine, chattering almost at the top of her lungs. Sara smiled at the girl's easy trust in her.

"Would you like to see him now?" the nurse offered.

"Can I?" Sara replied hopefully.

"Of course, hun. Just go on in. He won't be awake, but he could probably still hear you, and you have such a pretty voice, he'd be lucky for you to talk to him." The nurse left Sara in the hallway and entered another patient's room.

Sara walked into Greg's room. His figure looked tiny against the bed, and his hair was tangled and curly from the lack of hair gel that was normally present in it. She ran it through her fingers gently as she sat down next to his bed, remembering that the last time she had touched his hair was after the gang had beaten him up. "Why is it I can only touch your hair when you're injured?"

She could almost hear his annoyed reply. _Because NO ONE does my hair but me. Back off, Sara!_

"But it's just so fluffy, Greg!"

_Sara! Cut it out, please!_

"Fine," she grumbled, smiling.

_How's Drew?_

"Andrea is fine. But how are you is more the question, Greg."

_I've been operated on twice and have flatlined at least that many times. How do you think I am?_

"Just don't you dare give up on me. Grissom told me to tell you he expressly forbids it."

_Give up? Me? The guy who has almost shamelessly flirted with you for years? Never._

"Okay. I'll leave you alone now, I guess. But don't expect me to leave the hospital or anything. You mean too much to me, Greg."

_Really?_

"Yes, really!"

A smile played across Greg's lips.

CSINCISCSINCISCSINCISCSINCIS 

_**Andrea's POV**_

Andrea sat up on the couch next to Judith, fresh tears streaming down her face. She had just gotten off the phone with Sara. Her dad had just been confirmed to be in a coma, and she was missing him terribly. "I need Daddy," she whispered, feeling embarrassed and childlike.

"I know, Honey, I know." Judith smoothed Andrea's hair back from her face and hugged her. "Everything's going to be okay."

"That's what everyone says. Never really happens that way," a voice hissed from behind them, clamping a cloth over Judith's nose and mouth. Andrea's throat was closing off on her, and she was too terrified to make a sound. She jumped up and backed away towards the window as Judith fell off the couch and onto the ground, unconscious. The man moved forward towards Andrea. "I'm here for you, though." He lunged forward.

Andrea's defensive moves jumped in and she kicked his forearm at full speed. There was a soft crunching sound and the man cursed, shouting, "Bianca! Your little bitch broke my arm!"

"Bianca?" Andrea gasped, trying to keep backing away.

"That's mom to you, bitch." Bianca strolled into the room.

Andrea felt anger rise in her throat. Her father had told her about how her mother abandoned her on his doorstep. She found her voice and shouted, "You will NEVER be my mom!" She threw a lamp at the woman to distract her, adding, "My name is Andrea. You have no rights to me anymore!"

"I'm your mom, whether you like it or not!" Bianca spit.

"No! Being a mother and being a mom are two different things. A mother like you donates the genes and the egg. A mom is someone who actually cares and looks after the child. My dad's friends Sara and Catherine are more moms than you could ever be!"

The man grabbed Andrea's arm and kicked her ankle. It crumpled under her weight and she screamed for help. He clamped a cloth over her nose and mouth.

The last thing Andrea knew was that she was being hauled from the apartment by Bianca and the man. Then darkness clouded her mind, and everything went dark.

**Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter... it's longer than the other ones as repayment for not updating in forever! Let me know which way you want Greg and Sara's relationship to go, please, cause that changes what I do now.**


	8. Comatose

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine (sorry for the repetition trying to just get all of this out)

Note: So I've kind of given up trying to ever have any time to update on a consistent basis so I'm going to just post all the chapters today and enjoy… please don't hate me for not updating and let me know if the ending is crap or decent. Thanks a lot and I'm SUPER sorry for any grammar errors or anything because I don't have a beta for this one. Chapters are also short… please don't hate.

Also just a warning, my plot line moves really fast from this point and out, so some of you may not like it, but I'm going to use lots of Andrea where possible and Greggo's coming to the rescue!

This is NOT a Sandle fic, but it's like a sibling love between the two. Catherine and Grissom are together, but not married. Just to clarify.

Italics are thoughts unless otherwise stated.

CHAPTER 8

_**Sara's POV**_

Sara paced up and down the hallway outside Greg's hospital room, tears streaming unhindered down her pale face. Everything was going wrong. None of the team wanted to work any of their cases, and they couldn't focus on the ones they did. And that wasn't even the worst part for Greg. Sara knew she had to talk to Greg, even if he couldn't hear her. Taking a very deep breath and trying to calm her tears, she walked into his room.

Greg looked as pale as she felt, lying on his back. A monitor recorded his steady heartbeat, and two IVs fed him water and nutrients he needed. Sara went slowly over to the bed and took his hand, though she knew he wouldn't respond. Tears began to flow faster now. "Greg?"

He didn't move. She had known he wouldn't.

"Greg, please! It's been almost four days, and we all need you! Andrea's been kidnapped, and we have no idea what's going on. Everyone's lost without you. We've been trying to track her, but we only got one smudged print that was no good, and there was no DNA that we could find. The team is starting to lose it. Nick doesn't smile anymore, Greg. He hasn't made a joke all week. No one does. And I know that you are the only one who can help Andrea. Come back to us! We all need you," she sobbed. "I need my brother back."

Greg's chest rose and fell with his breathin, but nothing else happened. Sara collapsed in a ball in the chair next to him, feeling sick and light-headed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten. The next thing she was aware of was being lifted in someone's strong arms. Whoever it was laid her down on the other bed in Greg's room. Then they poked something needle-sharp into her arm.

Sara squealed and reached to yank it out, eyes closed against the blinding light. The person caught her wrist and forced her shoulder down into the bed. "Damn it, Sara, you're committing suicide. I won't let you starve yourself to death! You haven't eaten all week, even when someone brings you food, and have you been drinking water? I'm guessing not. I'm not letting my brother lose you, and if this is the only way you will take nutrients, fine. If you keep fighting, I will strap you to this bed."

"Nicky?" Sara murmured, opening her eyes slightly to see a blurry figure.

"Who else calls Greggo his brother? No shit, it's me. Now get some sleep. He's still going to be here when you wake up." Sara nodded and let herself drift off into a much needed sleep where there was no pain.

NCISCSINCISCSINCISCSINCISCSI 

_**Andrea's POV**_

Everything was dark. And cold. She couldn't see anything. She was laying on a smelly mattress in a damp, musty place. Tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered what had happened. Her ankle was aching.

She curled up in a ball on the old mattress, knees drawn up to her chest. _I want my Daddy,_ she thought desperately, the tears streaming down her cheeks. She was terrified and alone. _Someone come save me! Daddy, Aunt Catherine, Sara, anyone!_ They were people who made her feel safe. She just wanted to go home.

There was a clattering noise and a light flicked on over her head. Andrea looked around in terror and suppressing a scream. There were various sharp and painful-looking tools around her. Some of them had a rusty red color that she recognized as blood. She herself was on a mattress on the floor in the middle of what looking like a jail holding cell. She knew she was in a basement by the stone walls.

Footsteps on the stairs made her jump and wipe at the tears, wanting to look stronger than she felt. _I'll be brave. Maybe Daddy can come find me._

A woman came into the basement holding a plate with a piece of bread on it and shoved it under the bars, looking at her. "You're awake. Good."

"Take me home," Andrea demanded, fearful but determined not to sound weak.

"Oh, you will go home. As soon as your father comes to make the trade."

"What trade?" she asked slowly, feeling fear creep up again.

"A life for a life. Yours for his."

NCISCSINCISCSINCISCSINCISCSI 

_**Greg's POV**_

"It's been almost a week and a half since Andrea was kidnapped, Greg. Two since you were declared to be in a coma! We all need you. Grissom told you, you aren't allowed to give up," Sara whispered, throat dry. She was completely unable to cry by this point. All her tears had already been shed. "Nick's convinced me to start eating again, but only because I can't leave you here alone without Andrea. Come on, Greg," she pleaded.

Greg's eyelids twitched, but Sara didn't notice, staring off into space. "I know you can't hear me, but I want to talk about us."

Greg smiled gently. His heart rate increased minutely as Sara slipped her hand into his.

"Do you remember that time when you gave me some results on a case, and I said I could just kiss you? I realized a few days later what I meant. That I could kiss you and love you like you were my brother. It was foreign to me, having family. But I was too stupid and headstrong, and I didn't want to admit it because I was so sure that you would take it the wrong way. I thought I knew you better than you knew yourself. I should have known it wasn't like that when Nick told me about you looking up to me like a big sister or something. But I didn't believe him."

Greg's smile grew slightly.

"Then there was the time when you blew up your lab. Unintentionally, I know. I was so terrified for you, even though I was hit, too. You were my main concern. And when the gang beat you up. I'm sure there were other times, too, but those are what I think of. And somehow, through all of that, I still didn't know you had a daughter. Catherine must have snuck her around us somehow. Maybe she just thought it was time we all met Andrea. I'm still mad at you for not telling me that, by the way."

Sara didn't catch Greg's eyes flutter again and stay closed as he tried not to let her know he was awake.

"I guess that Grissom was my way of trying to get you off my case because I was still convinced you loved me and were attracted to me. Or convince myself that I didn't harbor any love for you. I don't know. Either way, it clearly didn't work. I still found you annoying and charming at the same time, like the little brother I wanted."

Greg's nose wrinkled.

"Whatever I did, it wasn't fair to shut you out or anything. And now you have Andrea, and my chances of truly being able to connect in that way with you are kind of shot. I wish I could have put aside my problems with my own love and family so we could have truly had something like I have with Nick."

Greg's smile shrank.

"I haven't told you about my family, have I? I really haven't told anyone but Cath. It looks like she's been keeping secrets for all of us."

Brow furrowed in concentration and curiosity, Greg prepared to listen.

"I was eight or nine. My father was an abusive man, misused and all that. He hurt my mother and me. My mom was a schizophrenic. Dad was in one of his moods, and Mom hid me in a cupboard to keep me from his abuse. I heard a few thuds and a scream from Mom. Then there was a really massive thud that made the floor shake, and silence. I cracked open the cupboard and saw Mom standing over Dad's still body. I think there was a knife or something sticking out of his chest. I blocked it out. But Mom had killed him. After that, I was shuffled around from foster home to foster home. I had issues with love and family. I never really knew either one."

Greg bit his lip.

"Catherine's my sister. Nicky is like a favorite older brother, and he calls you his brother, did you know that? You're like the little brother I wanted when I was really little, the one I would have vowed to protect with my life. Andrea needs you back, and so do I." Sara squeezed his hand and leaned into his shoulder, dry sobs running through her entire body.

Greg wanted desperately to talk to her, say anything, but he couldn't find his lips to say a word. Then he felt Sara's lips against his cheek lightly. He heard her get up and start to walk away. "Sar-" Greg was able to utter, throat raspy and barely able to speak.

Sara's gaze whipped back to his as he opened his eyes. "Greg?"

"Sara," he rasped again, smiling and squinting slightly as his eyes adjusted to the light.

Sara practically flew back to his side, smoothing back his hair. "You're awake."

"Off," he complained. "Water?"

"Sure!" She carefully helped him sit up and poured water into his mouth.

He swallowed and grinned. "Thanks," he said, voice back to normal.

"I can't believe you're awake," she said, smile lighting up her face.

"It was you. I could tell you were there. You know, it's not too late," he added.

"What do you mean?"

"Andrea loves you. We agree on that. And in terms of maturing, I'm not exactly the ideal person for her to talk to, and Catherine has Grissom. You could be like a surrogate mother. I'm not suggesting marriage," he said hastily, seeing her expression. "But if you wanted to be like her godmother…"

"I'd love to, but it wasn't that. Greg, Andrea-"

"As soon as you help me get out of her, we WILL find her."


	9. Victimized

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine (sorry for the repetition trying to just get all of this out)

CHAPTER 9

_**Sara's POV**_

Sara walked through the lab the a few nights later, looking for Grissom. She wanted permission to go pick up Greg and bring him back to the lab from the hospital. But by the time she got to the break room, Greg was spreading pictures of the case all across the table. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, averting her route and walking into the room. "I was supposed to come get you."

"I couldn't wait. The longer the time is after the kidnapping, the less likely it is that I get my daughter back. I can't risk that," Greg argued, continuing to sort through pictures.

"At least let me fill you in, then. It might go faster. So sit down. And give me those." She snatched the pictures from his hands.

Laughing, he sat down. "Go ahead then."

"She was taken from Judith's apartment at approximately ten twenty PM sixteen days ago. Since it seems to be a personal vendetta, we think she's most likely being held hostage."

"What?!" Greg interrupted, shock on his face.

"Shut up and listen. Judith was drugged with chloroform. The house was an absolute disaster, suggesting that someone put up a good fight. I'm inclined to think it was Andrea. Two sets of muddy footprints were found leading to and from the door coming upstairs and downstairs. They seem to suggest that there was added weight coming back down the stairs."

"They must have had to carry her out. That's my girl," Greg commented, smiling faintly. "I taught her some basic self-defense. You never know."

Sara nodded and continued. "There was also a message sharpied into the wall next to the light switch. You're not going to like it," she warned.

"Tell me, Sara," he said, bracing himself.

"The message reads, **I will take everything that matters to you, Gregory Hojem Sanders,**" Sara finished.

Greg blinked, anger and fear spiking in his eyes but keeping himself calm externally. "Do we know who wrote it?"

"No, we have nothing to compare it to. No leads, no DNA, no nothing on this case."

"You have DNA, don't you? Didn't you find a hair? I can run tests on it if you want," Greg offered.

Sara reached into her bag and pulled out two plastic sandwich bags. "Neither of these match anything we have. All we know is that one is female and one is male."

Greg looked thoughtful for a moment. Then his eyes widened. "I have an idea!" he shouted, jumping up, grabbing the bags, and running out of the room.

NCISCSINCISCSINCISCSINCISCSI 

_**Greg's POV**_

Greg dropped down into a chair in his lab and yanked out a loose strand of his own hair, starting to set up a new test. Then he took the other bags and started setting up new tests with them as well. Sara walked in as he was setting the three boxes of data on top of each other digitally on his computer screen. "What the hell are you trying to do, Greg Sanders?"

"Mine is on top." He pointed at the screen as he spoke. "The unknown female's is below me, and the unknown male is below that."

"Yeah, none of them match. We knew that. Where are you going with this whole experiment?" Sara pressed.

"Whoever was in my house knows my full name. I NEVER use that. Almost no one knows it outside of the lab and my family. I have an idea as to who kidnapped Drew."

"Really? How? What do you know that the rest of us don't?"

Greg rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm, but he was barely able to contain his own. "Wait for the results to come in. Then I will explain everything, I promise."

"But that could take hours with your programming on your computer!" Sara complained.

"It would take longer to remove the programming, I swear. Just shut up and watch, and try to figure it out for yourself." Greg reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tiny baggy with a single, long brown hair in it. He set up a final DNA test and started it. "This one isn't in the database, either."

"Whose is it?"

Ignoring the question, Greg grabbed Sara's arm and marched her out of the lab, closing and locking the door.

"You're really mean, you know that?" Sara pouted as they headed back toward the break room.

"No one has ever said that to me. Probably because I'm charming." Greg felt a rush of affection for the woman who called him her brother as she shoved him in the shoulder. "Come on, let's see if anyone else wants to order out later."

He led the way into the break room and was almost tackled by Nick. "Don't you EVER scare me like that again," Nick spat, hugging him fiercely.

"If you don't want him back in the hospital from a punctured lung and a broken rib, please let him go, Nick," Grissom called, coming over and shaking Greg's hand. "We're glad you're back."

"I can see that," Greg smiled, eying Nick. "Thanks, Grissom. Anyone want blue Hawaiian?"

"You're sharing your coffee with us?" Sara asked, astonished.

"I'm just so happy to be back and not dead," Greg replied snottily, shoving the cup of coffee into her hand. "Don't get used to it."

Grissom turned to Greg. "Did Sara fill you in?"

"Yeah, she did. I'm running another DNA test. It could take a little while, though."

"Who are you checking for?" Catherine asked. Greg eyed her seriously, knowing she would know who he was testing for. "You don't think- Greg!" she gasped, something dawning on her.

"What?" Greg saw something in her eyes… hope, maybe?

"Do you still have the letter?"

"What le-" he stopped short.

"Check the writing!" they said in unison.

"What?" Everyone else shouted.

"Cath and I have an idea." He ran to his lab. Thudding behind him told him the others were following, and he grinned. _Even injured, I'm faster than them. Except maybe Nick…_ who was gaining on him.

He practically threw himself at his desk when he got there, unlocking the bottom drawer and yanking out the letter Catherine was talking about. Everyone else watched in hope and awe for him as Greg put the eight year old eltter into the scanner and pulled up a picture of the writing on the wall. Using careful clicks of the mouse, he drew out letters and words here and there from the two writings.

They nearly matched. "Convincing, but not enough. Whose handwriting is that, and what else do you have, Greg?" Grissom questioned.

The other computer beeped softly. Feeling nervousness flood him, Greg swiveled his chair around and shook the mouse to wake up the computer screen. The fourth strand of hair's DNA was in a new file on the desktop. The rest of the team gathered around him as he pulled up the previous DNA, his own and the two unknowns. Then he turned back around, almost falling out of his chair when he noticed everyone was right behind him.

"Yeah, we already ran these, G-man. Do you have anything that's going to help us?" Nick said, folding his arms over his chest.

"So this is mine, and these are the two unknowns," Greg pointed at the screen like he had with Sara.

"So whose is that?" Grissom gestured to the new file on the desktop.

Greg opened the new file and examined it. All four sets of DNA data were lined up on the document. The new strand's DNA partially matched Greg's. "Is that Andrea's?" Catherine asked.

"Yes," Greg replied, feeling excitement and pure hatred fill him.

"It also partially matches the unknown female…" Sara said slowly. "Which means…"

"I know who kidnapped Andrea," Greg finished. "Andrea's biological mother and my ex-girlfriend Bianca Merris. Most likely with the help of her boyfriend Matt."

**Sorry bout the lack of Andrea's POV, I'm toying with the idea of having her more than I originally expected because everyone seems to like her so much. Let me know how much of her you guys want!**  
**I'm planning on having the rest of this (17 chapters and epilogue) completely up in the next week and a half to two weeks, so thanks for those who are sticking with it even though I'm sure you're all pissed that I have essentially abandoned this one. I'm currently working on four other fanfics, but I want to be farther than two chapters in each one before I update. (if anyone's curious, it's a reidcentric criminal minds one, a morgan and reid slash one also criminal minds, a couple one-shots for CSI and NCIS, and another random criminal minds) I'm hoping to start updating those as soon as I finish this one.**


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